Argilac Durrandon
King Argilac Durrandon is the King of the Stormlands and a major character in Book 1, the Interlude and Book 2. He is the head of House Durrandon of Storm's End, which currently only consists of him and his sole surviving child, his young daughter Argella Durrandon. With his advancing age, Argilac seeks to restore the former glory of his kingdom. Background Argilac Durrandon assumed the throne of the Stormlands at the early age of sixteen, when his father Arlan V Durrandon passed away after a minor injury got infected. At this age, not many expected Argilac to be a strong ruler. Instead, his lords thought little of the young man, seeing him as the latest installment in a line of failures, after his weak grandfather and unremarkable father had lost a lot of House Durrandon's former glory. To the surprise of everyone, Argilac proved them wrong. Surrounding himself only with loyal advisors, the young king soon learned the essentials of ruling. He showed a natural talent for leading his kingdom and soon, he had convinced even the most ardent of his critics. Dreaming of restoring the glory of house, Argilac soon gained the reputation of a warmonger. Thanks to a military reform he planned, thousand of new recruits joined his army and he was the first Storm King in a hundred years that managed to stop the Dornishmen from raiding the Dornish Marches. He also successfully fought Harren Hoare to a stalemate, ending the dreams of House Hoare to rule over the Stormlands. When it came to the inner workings of his kingdom, Argilac showed a sensitivity that seemingly clashed with the bloodthirsty warrior he was on the battlefield. As a young man, he had lost his heart to an Essosi noblewoman, Lady Daeria of Myr. Even though many people expected him to marry her for love, he instead married Leona Estermont, daughter of one of his most powerful bannermen and biggest critics, therefore binding House Estermont once again to his house. The marriage with Leona was without love, though Argilac was reported to care for his wife regardless, appreciating her sound advice. It was met with great joy when Queen Leona was announced to be pregnant. However, the joy did not last when the queen gave birth to a weak boy, several weeks too early. She died from complications during the birth, while the child, Prince Mors, died a few days later. In his own way, Argilac grieved for both and this event marked an important turning point for his life. No longer content with marrying for the sake of his kingdom, Argilac proposed to the love of his youth, Daeria of Myr, who happily accepted. Even though many lords were sceptical of having a foreign queen, Argilac's sheer love for his wife was generally seen as heartwarming. A healthy woman, Queen Daerya gave birth to two sons, the princes Davos and Artos, and later on to a daughter, Princess Argella. Argilac loved all of his children equally, though he was known to be especially fond of Argella, whom he called his little Storm Princess, for her temper that matched his own so well. Tragedy struck again, eight years after Argella's birth. After a visit to her family in Myr, the queen and her children returned to Storm's End by ship. Once more, Shipbreaker Bay earned its name, when a terrible storm hit the ship in sight of the castle. The king was helpless to see how a particularly large wave caused the ship to sink. The storm claimed the life of Daeria and her sons. Only Argella survived, thanks to her brother saving her at the cost of his own life. The loss of most of his family sent Argilac into a deeply sullen state. For days, he would barely eat and drink, wouldn't talk or leave his rooms. Finally, after a week of silence, he left his quarters and entered the rooms of his grieving daughter, to console her. Afterwards, he proclaimed her his heiress and made it clear to his lords that this decision was not negotiable. Still shaken deeply by the loss, Argilac began to wage war almost constantly in the following decade. It began with a long, costly war against the Reach, during which Argilac fought House Gardener to a bloody stalemate, gaining no new territories, but prestige, glory and riches. During a decisive battle at the town of Ashford, he personally slew the old king of the Reach, Garse Gardener. Shortly after the Reach successfully negotiated for peace, Argilac answered a call for help from Myr, where his late wife's family still lived. The Free Cities were threatened by the powerful Volantene Hegemony and to crush them, Argilac allied with the feared Dragonlord, Aegon Targaryen. The might of the Storm Kings and the dragons of House Targaryen quickly crushed the Hegemony, giving Argilac another major victory. Only in the most recent years has his fearsome temper and lust for war mellowed down slightly, as the old Storm King noticed his advancing age. Even though his daughter grew into a formidable young woman, he still saw Argella as far from ready to rule the kingdom. And despite his successful wars, there was one thing Argilac never managed to gain, which was new territory to add to the Stormlands. Book 1 Butterfly Argilac was first seen training his new recruits at the courtyard of Storm's End. Previously, he had accidentally wounded his master-at-arms during a sparring match and while the man recovered, Argilac took training into his own hands. His training, which consisted mostly of charging at his recruits and beating them until they learned how to block his strikes, was watched by Drent Golton, Jax Montclair and his daughter Argella. Shortly afterwards, Argilac received guests from Dragonstone. Lord Aegon Targaryen had sent his ambassador, Corilyan Celtigar, to discuss a topic the two rulers had previously talked about. During a public dinner, where Drent and Jax stood guard, Argilac revealed to his daughter that he had offered her hand in marriage to the Dragonlord, who had made a counteroffer in return. Instead of himself, Argella was supposed to marry Orys Baratheon, general of his armies and close friend. Since Orys was also rumoured to be Aegon's bastard brother, both Durrandons took grievous offense to that. In case of Argilac, it got to the point where he decided to send a warning to Dragonstone not to insult him again. Using the sword of his trusted knight, Ser Emphryus Dresfel, he severed both of Corilyan's hands, making it clear that he had no intentions of marrying his daughter off to someone he perceived as inferior to her. A few hours after this incident, he called for a council, to which he invited Argella, his trusted advisor Lady Tariel, the knights Emphryus Dresfel and Baron Schodek, as well as Drent, Jax and the sellsword Garen. He revealed to them that he has inherited the city of Raylansfair. Dreaming of adding another bit of land to his kingdom, he decides to send his daughter as the leader of a diplomatic mission to the Reach, to claim Raylansfair in the name of House Durrandon. Interlude Seven Letters - The Scion's Fury Argilac is first shown visiting the graves of his family in the crypt of Storm's End, where his first wife and son are buried, as well as his second wife and their two sons. Silently, he mourns their absence stating that it pains him that they are not with him, not around to see Argella growing up and firmly stating how proud he is of his daughter and the person she is shaping up to be. He leaves when he is called by Landry Swann, the captain of the royal guard. Landry informs him that the three men he has called to court his daughter have arrived, Jonathan Errol, Bernard Buckler and Warrick Fell. While not too happy about their presence, Argilac receives them in the Great Hall, where he realizes that their task would be a highly difficult one. However, their talk is cut short when Qoherys, the new Maester, arrives with a letter. Baffled, yet also infuriated, Argilac reads Aegon Targaryen's declaration of war. Naturally ignoring the order to surrender, he demands that Qoherys calls for all of his banners, gathering them at Storm's End for what might be his final war. He declares that he has no intention of ever kneeling to the man that calls himself king and that he would fight to the last. Book 2 Fires Far Just a few weeks later, Argella and her remaining soldiers return to Storm's End, where Argilac has a heartfelt reunion with his daughter. Overjoyed at her safe return, there is nonetheless a strain in their relationship when he introduces the three suitors. The Storm Princess naturally does not react kindly to this new proposal. However, more heavily iwas her own conscience over what she perceives as her personal guilt in Raylansfair. She ends up personally blaming herself, seeking absolution by admitting to her failure in public, in a move that Argilac perceives as humiliating. Yet he himself is unable to intervene. In his stead, Drent Golton speaks up and clarifies some things to defend his princess. Argilac, thankful over this intervention, compliments Drent for his bravery, though also tells him that he spoke highly out of line here. In honour of Argella's safe return, Argilac decides to host a tourney at Storm's End, where he intends to give the three suitors moments to shine to win Argella's affection. Thorns Naturally, Argilac himself decides to participate in the tourney. Due to his age, he opts out of the joust, but he fully intends to fight in the melee. After overseeing the first rounds of the joust, witnessing Bernard Buckler's surprising victory over Emphryus Dresfel, he gets ready for the melee. During the melee, Argilac shows that despite his age, he remains a fearsome combatant. Using a lighter hammer, he knocks out several fighters by himself, be they knights or smallfolk alike. He is eventually defeated by Landry Swann, though the king takes his defeat with amusement, as he accepts Landry's superior skill, before moving to the side of the tourney grounds to watch the rest of the fighting. Appearance Even at his advanced age, Argilac still has something youthful about him. Nearly seventy years old, Argilac looks about twenty years younger and he is still very tall and muscular. Typically for House Durrandon, he has black hair and dark blue eyes, as well as pale skin. His face shows fine wrinkles and in recent years, it had actually gotten quite gaunt, which is a detail he hides underneath his long, bushy beard. As the head of House Durrandon, Argilac is rarely seen not wearing clothes in yellow and black colours, often with the crowned stag of House Durrandon on it. He feels very comfortable in heavy armour, to the point where his retainers joke that he rather wears armour than fine clothes. His crown, always on his head, is a thick iron circlet with two massive antlers in the front. Personality Argilac is known for his lust for battle. He is a warrior at heart, fearless and unyielding. Even at his advanced age, Argilac is still a terrific fighter his skill is well known. He is proud of his skills and achievements, up to the point where it gave him his unflattering nickname, 'Argilac the Arrogant'. Knowing of the glorious past of his house, Argilac yearns to prove himself a worthy Storm King and it is his main goal to bring back the former power of House Durrandon. For this, he has constantly waged war during his reign and over the years, he has proven himself over and over as a capable leader, not only on the battlefield, but also in terms of diplomacy. He is feared by the other kingdoms as one of the most powerful kings of Westeros and it is said that even Harren Hoare does not dare to provoke him. Another thing Argilac is famous for is his temper. Usually an affable man, he can be quick to resort to brutal violence if someone insults him or those he loves. He also knows how to keep a grudge. That said, Argilac is well-loved by his own subjects, for being a strong and just ruler who deeply cares for those under his reign. Despite his famous arrogance, Argilac is known to have deep friendships even with members of the smallfolk and he is very sociable, as well as generous to those who have served him well. He despises corruption and injustice among his lords and famously outlawed rape among his soldiers. Relationships Argella Durrandon It is known that Argilac deeply loves his daughter, a love that has often been described as his best and worst character trait. As his last living relative, Argilac cares for Argella and despite the concerns from his lords, he is building her up as his successor, despite the tradition requiring a male heir. Even though he makes sure she never lacks any luxury, he still fully considers Argella his heiress and does not spoil her. Instead, he puts her through the same rigorous training he would have put a male heir through, teaching her how to fight, how to behave at court and how to rule a kingdom. His love for Argella brings out his softer and more caring side, though it also brings out the worst in him. He is protective of her and his most vicious fury is targeted at those who harm his daughter. Emphryus Dresfel Though over thirty years his senior, Argilac gets along splendidly with Emphryus, the best friend of his late son, Davos. He keeps the knight close, trusting him a great deal, even with keeping his daughter safe. In general, Emphryus is one of Argilac's closest friends and most valued companions. Baron Schodek Baron is one of the few men in Storm's End who remember Argilac as a young man. As his oldest friend, Baron has notably more freedom than the rest of the Stormlanders in how to deal with their king. He knows him the best, knowing when to speak up and when to remain silent, having learned to deal with Argilac's volatile temper. In return, Argilac considers Baron his most valued friend and supporter. Landry Swann With Landry being one of the most accomplished knights in the Stormlands, it is clear that Argilac respects him a great deal. The two are friends and brothers-in-arms, having fought side by side in several wars. He is also a key in Argilac's control over the dornish marches, with his loyalty making House Swann one of the most loyal houses in the entire Stormlands. Qoherys Argilac and Qoherys start off on the wrong foot. While Argilac appreciates that Qoherys is a fighter as well as a scholar, he never even gave the man a chance, due to him replacing the old Maester, who had served Storm's End for Argilac's entire life. Unable to adjust to a new Maester, he treats Qoherys poorly, openly distrusting him due to his Valyrian heritage and sudden promotion. Appearances Category:Characters Category:Book 1 Characters Category:Interlude Characters Category:Book 2 Characters Category:Major Characters Category:House Durrandon Category:Stormlanders Category:Storm's End Category:Highborn Category:Royalty